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Words at the table

Hungarian uses the Latin alphabet but does not sound the way it looks: s is sh, sz is a sharp s, cs is ch. Knowing that, you get Halászlé and Pörkölt right the first time. The stress is always on the first syllable, without exception.

How to read it

s: Always sh as in „shoe“ – never a sharp s.
sz: The sharp s as in „sun“ – the exact opposite of English sh.
cs: Ch as in „church“.
zs: The soft sh, like the s in „measure“.
gy: A soft d-y, roughly as in „Magyar“ – the tongue on the palate.
ny: Ny as in „canyon“.
á é í ó ő ú ű: The accent marks length, not stress: the sound is held longer.
Stress: Always on the first syllable, however long the word.

At the table

Ungarisch	Say it like	Meaning
Jó étvágyat!	yoh ayt-vah-dyot	Enjoy your meal.
Egészségedre!	eh-gays-shay-ged-reh	Cheers – the toast.
Köszönöm	kuh-suh-nuhm	Thank you.
Finom	fee-nom	Delicious.
Kérek szépen	kay-rek say-pen	I would like some – the polite way to order.

Ingredients

Ungarisch	Say it like	Meaning
pirospaprika	pee-rosh-pop-ree-ko	The red paprika powder – the base of almost every dish.
tejföl	tay-fuhl	Sour cream, goes on almost everything.
szalonna	so-lon-no	Bacon, often smoked.
kolbász	kol-bahs	Sausage, usually paprika-cured.
túró	too-roh	Curd cheese – used sweet and savoury.
hagyma	hod-yo-mo	Onion.
zsír	zheer	Lard.

Dishes

Ungarisch	Say it like	Meaning
gulyás	goo-yahsh	The soup from the cauldron – not what English calls goulash.
pörkölt	pur-kult	The stew without broth – what English calls goulash.
paprikás	pop-ree-kahsh	Like pörkölt, finished with sour cream.
halászlé	ho-lahs-lay	The river fish soup, deep red with paprika.
lecsó	leh-choh	The stewed peppers, tomato and onion.
palacsinta	po-lo-cheen-to	The thin pancake, filled sweet or savoury.
töltött káposzta	tul-tut kah-pos-to	Stuffed cabbage rolls in sauerkraut.
bogrács	bog-rahch	The cauldron over the fire where both are made.